Monday, November 10, 2008

Saddle Up -- A My Town Monday Post

The world's fastest athlete.

Nope, I'm not talking about Usain Bolt. After all this is a My Town Monday post and as far as I know, the Jamaican sprinter has absolutely no connection to Amarillo.

But the world's fastest athlete did participate in the Olympics. No, not in a track and field event, but rather the equestrian events. And I'm not talking about the dudes or dudettes in the squirrelly little hats. I'm talking about the horses, and a particular breed of horse at that.

The American Quarter Horse is an American horse breed that has been clocked at speeds up to 55 mph. The name derives from the Quarter Horse's ability to outrun all other breeds in races of a quarter mile or less.

The American Quarter Horse is the most popular breed in the United States, and the American Quarter Horse Association is the largest breed registry in the world, with over 3 million American Quarter Horses registered worldwide.

And the headquarters for the AQHA ... just happens to be right here in Amarillo, Texas.

The All-American Futurity, held each year at Ruidoso downs in Ruidoso, New Mexico, is the Super Bowl of Quarter Horse races. With a purse slighter over two million dollars this past year the All-American had richer stakes than Thoroughbred's top event .. The Kentucky Derby.

Here is a video of the exciting 2007 race.

Don't think the Quarter Horse is a one-dimensional athlete only suitable for racing. Far from it, the breed excels in the rodeo arena, on the ranch, at horse shows, as well as cutting and reining events, and just about any other equestrian event. It truly is a multisport athlete.

Sitting alongside the large three story building that house the registry and inner working of the association is a American Quarter Horse Museum and Hall Of Fame. I will be doing an entire post along with pictures from that facility sometime on the coming weeks. I even have an inside source that may provide a bit of inside knowledge about the museum.

Great post, Travis. I'd like to visit that museum some day. Horses are such beautiful and amazing animals. Sorry to hear your ID got stolen. Glad it's getting straightened out.

Linda, who's ashamed to admit she's also from Pennsylvania

PS No My Town Monday from me this week, but I think I've talked my friend Theresa Liu into joining us. I'll let you know when she posts. Her blog is called East Meets West at http://wwwwhitechinese.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the info on the quarter horses. They're beautiful animals. :)As luck would have it, today's post would qualify as a MTM post, I think; http://lucidflora.blogspot.com/2008/11/louisiana-in-autumn-bird-news.html

There isn't anything quite like an American Quarter Horse. The good show horses come with fancy price tags. The horse in my profile photo is of that breed, Impressive bred, halter champion, western riding points, who went on to become a great 3-day eventer that Bruce Davidson spoke quite highly of.

When I rode this horse western, he could jump start fast enough to make my eyes tear up. That rear end muscle is something and so are their brains: smart. Too bright for some trainers, the Impressive bred horses tend to be intelligent like an Arabian horse. You can't mess with their heads or you'll end up with a monster who likes to fight back and laugh at you in the process.

Hey Travis! Thanks for the MTM about my work! Just to let everyone who reads your blog know, the American Quarter Horse Association is a great place to work, and I hope that if any of you come to Amarillo, come visit me at the museum.

I hate to do this, but I do have one minor correction. We have over 5 million registered horses now! Woo Hoo!

Always interested to learn more about horses, and I didn't know the connection between QH's and Amarillo. Now I do! I'm a Tennessee Walking fan myself, because it isn't how fast you go, it's how you move.

This is a great MTM post, Travis! I love horses, but was always frustrated by them as a kid because I absolutely cannot draw a horse to save my life, and I'm not bad when it comes to a little freehand sketching.

Hi again Travis- I had quite a lot of trouble posting a video. Then I relented and asked my teenager. So my post is up, such that it is. Fun to learn something new though. It's funny you chose an animal for your post too...lol. ~Karen